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Offline Chanticleer48

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Got a swarm call today!
« on: November 25, 2015, 09:59:44 pm »
I received a swarm call today. It was about a 2-1/2 to 3 pound swarm. I have to say this was the latest in the year I have ever captured a swarm.
This swarm today made number 12 for the year, and I missed a couple because I was at work.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2015, 11:51:26 pm »
Congratulations. Do you have hay honey frames to give them to help them through the winter?
Jim
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Offline Chanticleer48

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2015, 08:30:18 am »
Got them on some good cotton honey.

Offline rober

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2015, 11:26:47 am »
I got 3 swarm calls in September & October. one was within a mile of me so I grabbed it. they'd already  moved into a small wooden keg so it was an easy catch. took the keg home, popped the retaining rings, & put the girls in a nuc. 3 days later I found the queen. 10 days later there were 3 plus frames of brood. I put a 2nd story on it with 4 frames & a division board feeder. checked it last week & there was 1 1/2 frames of honey & 3 1/2 frames of brood in the bottom box & 4 frames of honey in the top. I feel pretty good about this hive surviving the winter. if it does i'll make some queens from it. I would have put in a single story hive but I caught so many swarms & did enough removals that I'm out of equipment. I went from 4 to 18 hives over the summer. i'll be building more woodenware over the winter.

Offline Blacksheep

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2015, 09:40:07 pm »
You are really lucky!We don't have that kinda of bee activity around my area!

Offline rober

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2015, 04:51:36 am »
swarms after early july are few & far between here. this was an unusual year in many ways. with it being cold & wet this spring you'd think swarms would be down but it was the busiest season I've ever had. it's also not so much luck as it is being on lot of swarm call lists. I'm not even sure how I got on so many. I also do cutouts. I quit doing trap-outs in trees unless they are reeeaaaally nearby. it's not worth my time & effort. there's also been of lot of hives absconding this fall.

Offline GSF

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2015, 08:58:31 pm »
I haven't heard of any late swarms around here this year. The last one I caught last year was in Oct. It was about the size of one or two soft balls. I said the heck with it I'll give them a chance anyway - they didn't survive. Most of my swarms were prior to July. 27 swarms out of 14 original hives. I would have never guessed it.
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Offline D Coates

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2015, 03:55:50 pm »
Late Nov., wow that's impressive.  My latest was in mid October this year.  I had 5-6 swarm calls in early Sept-Oct.  Not one panned out.  One was even pretty good size but the queen was a dud and they killed her after a week but before she ever laid an egg.  Ended up combining the bees from these various remnant swarms with strong hives.  Simply way too late to try to get them to start from scratch to get a queen.  The last 2 calls I got in October I didn't pursue as I felt it would be an exercise in futility.
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Offline Dallasbeek

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2015, 04:40:26 pm »
I got one call in October and convinced the woman to let them stay in the ceiling of her gazebo until spring and let me try to get them in about March or April.  They had been there two years and were not bothering anything, but she wants to replace the gazebo later.  Heck, if I can get them out and she leaves the gazebo a while, I might be able to get another swarm there.
"Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." - Judge Learned Hand, 1944

Offline 10framer

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #9 on: December 01, 2015, 12:33:19 am »
bees leaving the hive this late in the year are absconding because of hive beetles most likely.

Offline GSF

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2015, 06:04:56 am »
But would they leave capped brood behind as well?
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline D Coates

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #11 on: December 01, 2015, 10:45:26 am »
But would they leave capped brood behind as well?

Yep.  They'll abandon everything once it's gotten worse than they'll tolerate.  I lost a nice double nuc this year doing a trap out of a tree.  Hive beetles hit the tree hive.  When their young emerged they went after my nuc.  I was on vacation and put off removing the nuc not figuring a problem would arise.  I was wrong and they flat overwhelmed what had been a packed double nuc a week prior.  I was in the shade and the queen was a new R Weaver and laying well two weeks prior.  It was the first time I'd truly been "slimed".  I froze the frames and put them in strong nucs (in full sun) to see what they'd do.  They cleaned up and repaired the frames in no time.

Learned a valuable lesson about SHB's, putting off to tomorrow what should be done today, and how well a strong nuc will clean slimed frames.
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Offline GSF

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #12 on: December 01, 2015, 10:11:03 pm »
Thanks D Coates, that's something I didn't know. btw, still using some nucs from your pattern on beemaster
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline Chanticleer48

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2015, 10:29:03 pm »
bees leaving the hive this late in the year are absconding because of hive beetles most likely.

Perhaps....buddy of mine up the road lost two swarms out of his hives a day or two before I received the swarm call.  He doesn't have a hive beetle problem.  Near 80 degree weather has kept my hives busy.  They are still bringing in pollen and getting nectar from somewhere.

Offline 10framer

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #14 on: December 03, 2015, 08:35:00 pm »
goldenrod has been gone up here for a long time now and didn't really produce much.  i'm not sure what else would be blooming in georgia this late in the year.

Offline Chanticleer48

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #15 on: December 03, 2015, 11:01:47 pm »
On the land I deer hunt there is/was what look likes tiny daisies blooming everywhere. I saw several honey bees working the flowers.   I have no idea what they are, and don't recall ever seeing them before this year.  That's the only thing I can come up with, but my girls are finding something with amber colored pollen, they were hitting the landing board with it packed in their pollen baskets.

Offline iddee

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #16 on: December 03, 2015, 11:11:04 pm »
It is aster. It came out very heavily here this year and the bees love it.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline Chanticleer48

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #17 on: December 07, 2015, 04:26:23 pm »
It is aster. It came out very heavily here this year and the bees love it.


Thanks Iddee, nice to know.

Offline Dallasbeek

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #18 on: December 07, 2015, 05:37:25 pm »
Is that the same as purple (or fall) asters?  We have a good stand pf purple oned that the bees love.  Amber pollen, but petals are purple.
"Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." - Judge Learned Hand, 1944

Offline iddee

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Re: Got a swarm call today!
« Reply #19 on: December 07, 2015, 06:46:11 pm »
There's many colors of aster. I think most of them bloom in the fall.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*